Eye For An Eye
by Aerohead
Summary: Nessarose's last seven days of life, and how she changes into the Witch of the East.
1. Day One

Title: Eye For An Eye

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. And to Jen, and she should know why.

Warning: None really…well, spoiler for what happens to Boq, but that's it.

Genre: General (play)

Summary: The last week of Nessarose's life, from when Elphaba leaves after charming the shoes up until her death. 

Author's Notes: An idea popped into my head, and it won't go away, so I have to write it, regardless of whether or not I already have two stories going at the moment (sorry). Also, it's kind of for my friend, because of something on going between her, another one of our friends, and myself. So…yeah. Every chapter is another day, just so everyone understands. Also, I figured there'd have to be time between Elphaba and Fiyero leaving together and Elphaba and Glinda meeting at Nessa's grave, so every day in this story will be getting darker and darker (literally, not, like, the substance of the story) until, finally, the cyclone reaches Oz from Kansas. And I'm sorry if I'm not nice to Nessa, she's never been my favorite character, but I wanted to do something different. And Kaiya is the name of one of the freshmen at my school, and I think it's a pretty name, so I'm using it.

Day One

It was a luxury she had never had before. Before, she had to have someone draw her a bath, then have someone else help to ease her first onto her bed to strip out of her things, then into the claw-footed tub. Now, however, she could use one of these new-fangled inventions. What was it called? Oh, yes…a 'shower'. In this, she could stand in a porcelain bowl much like the tub, but she was covered by a curtain of heavy, nearly waterproof fabric, and hot water rained down onto her body. Of course, she reminded herself sharply, the basin the water fell into – and she stood in – had to be specially made so that she could stand in the jeweled shoes her father had given her.

She looked down as she ran a hand through her short auburn hair. She frowned at the shoes her father had given her when she was accepted into Shiz, and wondered why water wasn't seeping into them. Of course, they wouldn't come off, but she didn't think the hold they had on her feet would affect her daily life.

Though she had to admit that a shower wasn't exactly one of her daily activities. Of course she washed; what respectable unelected official didn't wash? However, this was the first day she could ever _stand_ and _shower_. She even had to admit that she was marveling at how fast the shower stall had been made for her.

"Madame?" squeaked a voice as the door to her private 'shower room' scraped against the newly laid tile floor.

Nessarose huffed. She just wanted to be left alone; was that so much to ask? But it was impolite to leave the young maid who had walked in waiting, so she swallowed her pride. "Yes, Kaiya?" she asked as politely as she could manage.

"You received a letter from Kiamo Ko." Nessarose poked her head out from behind the curtain, trying to look dignified with dripping wet hair. Her brows knit together in confusion, before she waved a dripping hand at Kaiya.

"Well, read it to me." She said. Kaiya shook her head.

"I can't read ma'am." Nessarose sighed and slinked back behind the curtain, leaning against the only wall in the shower stall. She closed her eyes as the water fell onto her body, and rubbed her temples. This wouldn't have happened if Boq were still with her. But of course he wasn't. And it was because of her.

No. Remember Nessa, it was Elphaba. You took his heart, but you just wanted him to love you.

She growled as her headache came on full-force. It had only been a day since Boq had run out of the governor's castle and she already knew that, wheelchair or not, she needed him.

Why had she reacted so harshly? He just wanted his freedom, what anyone would want. Nessarose sunk down onto the floor, holding her knees to her chest and leaning her forehead on her knees. He had wanted to go sabotage Glinda's engagement party. Eyes wide, Nessarose pulled herself up awkwardly and turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her thin frame, before stepping out of the tub. Kaiya was still there.

"Have you heard any news from the Emerald City about Glinda the Good's Engagement Ball?" she asked casually.

Kaiya stared at Nessarose, surprised by the sudden change of topic. She watched stupidly for a few minutes as Nessarose slipped a dark blue robe on, before going over to the door to the room. She closed it, before leaning against it, smiling impishly.

"Well, and I don't mean to spread rumors, Miss, but…it was a failure! That prince she was marrying turned out to have ulterior motives when it comes to certain governor's sisters."

Nessarose flipped her hair out from under the collar of her robe before looking at Kaiya in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kaiya's smile grew wider. "Well, yes…It seems that…You-Know-Who," she lowered her voice to make sure none of the other Munchkin servants were listening, "tried to crash the Engagement Ball in order to free those monkeys. And in the process, she was caught by the Wizard himself! Now, it seems that a certain prince has had his eye on a certain green young woman for quite some time, and up and left right in the middle of the Ball; Glinda was distraught!"

"I'd imagine she would be." Nessarose said, frowning as her shoes clicked against the tiles. "Poor thing. Remind me to write her a letter later." She said, taking the letter from Kaiya. "You have been very…nice…to talk to, Kaiya." She said, her voice tinged with condescending, as she walked out of the bathroom. She picked up a small but elaborate knife and opened the letter. She knew the handwriting on the front easily as her sister's.

She went into her room and locked the door, sitting in her wheelchair. It felt safe to her, and as the room was bare when it wasn't there, she was now using it as her personal chair.

She flipped the letter open and skimmed the length, before groaning. Elphaba had never been a person of few words. She went back to the beginning, and started to read:

_My Dear Nessa,_

_I know you will hear many rumors about my whereabouts and what has happened in the past twenty-four hours since I have left you. I will explain to you now._

_You see, when I heard from Boq about Fiyero and Glinda's engagement, I had to do something. I love Fiyero, Nessa, please understand. So, yes, I went to the Emerald City under the pretense of wanting to free the Monkeys. The Wizard was more accommodating than I had imagined, and allowed me to free them if I promised to help him. I had begun to promise, when I found Dr. Dillamond inside one of the cages, hiding under a blanket. Nessa, he has forgotten everything that gave him Life! It was so terrible…_

_But then the Wizard called the guard, and Fiyero came. He sent the other guards away, then blackmailed the Wizard into letting me go. When Glinda came in, he left with me, much to the surprise of both of us._

_I hate to hurt Glinda's feelings, especially like this, but you have no idea how it feels to be wanted by someone who loves you as much as you love them. It feels…wicked. But I'm in hiding now, so don't try to find me._

_Oh, but Nessa! I'm worried for your safety. I heard screaming last night, and saw a cyclone in the sky carrying what looked like a farmhouse. I flew to Munchkinland, but there was nothing to report. Still, I am very worried about your well-being. If the citizens want me, they may come after you, and you have no idea what Morrible is capable of, Nessa! _

_Please, for my sake, keep safe and don't do anything regretful until I am forgotten._

_With Love,_

_Elphaba_

Nessarose sighed, before throwing the letter haphazardly onto the ground. So, Elphaba had really stolen Fiyero's heart from Glinda? Nessarose had to laugh at that; both sisters had stolen the heart of the ones they loved, just in very different ways.

Nessarose shook her head, before standing up. It had happened in that very room. She touched the table with her baubles on it, finding the scissors Boq had used to try and protect himself from Elphaba.

She moved on to the place where Elphaba had hidden herself, before Nessarose or Boq had found her.

And here it was. She stopped at the small space behind her bed where her wheelchair went at nights. This was where Elphaba had changed Boq. Nessarose searched it, looking for one piece of Boq's humanity left there. But there was nothing there. She sighed, before picking up the scissors and hugging them to her chest like a child would a doll.

She picked up Elphaba's letter again, and carefully shred it with the scissors. She couldn't take the chance of the servants knowing how to read. Elphaba said she was in danger, but of course she was. She was the governor of Munchkinland, a woman who was feared by her people. She turned to a window to watch the sun setting over Nest Harding, and raised her chin boldly.

"Come hell or high water, no one – Madame Morrible, the Wizard, or even Elphaba – will be able to harm me." She vowed. She turned quickly and went to the armoire and hung her robe inside, before taking out a dressing gown and slipped it over her head. She got into bed, slightly uncomfortable because of the shoes her sister had spelled, and lay down. She peered at the window nervously, before shaking her head. "Cyclones and screaming and farmhouses flying! Now that Elphaba's in love, she's become delusional." Nessarose muttered to herself, before pulling the covers up to her chin and falling asleep.


	2. Day Two

Title: Eye For An Eye

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. And to Jen, and she should know why.

Warning: None really…well, spoiler for what happens to Boq, but that's it.

Genre: General (play)

Summary: The last week of Nessarose's life, from when Elphaba leaves after charming the shoes up until her death.

Author's Notes: I know I said that I'd leave this in only play-verse, but I really want Nessarose to have some sort of confidante, I'm not that mean. So…yeah, just read it. ' Also, I believe Shell is six years younger than Nessarose, which would make him about…fourteen.

Day Two

Nessarose jumped awake. She could have sworn she heard clanking; tin against tile. She fell back into her bed, realizing she was making herself crazed. Boq had left two days ago, and he would not come back, ever. Even she knew that inside her mind, though she didn't want to admit it to her heart.

She got out of bed and changed into a nice dress. She needed to find someone to talk to, anyone who would listen to her and not ignore her feelings as a human being, not a wicked witch.

She pulled out a cloak also and started out of her room. She stopped in the hall and considered writing a letter to her servants, but remembered Kaiya, the illiterate. Possibly all of her servants were illiterate, and she didn't have time to stay and help them to decipher her own note. She started out of the governor's mansion. She stopped and watched the sun rise over the forbidding building, before turning and starting away.

She followed her feet to where she needed to go. Nest Harding's School for Boys wasn't that far away, she knew, and she needed comfort, the comfort she knew Elphaba had always given her. She followed the Yellow Brick Road, listening to her shoes clink against the stones. She looked up at the sky after a while, surprised to find that the sun was fighting to shine behind the clouds.

"Miss, what are you doing here?" someone asked. She looked down at a first-former Munchkin who was watching her with an easy expression. She frowned, not understanding why she hadn't struck fear into his heart. Then she remembered leaving without pulling her hair back, and mentally hit her forehead. It was hard to strike fear into someone's heart when one was tragically beautiful.

"I'm looking for a boy." She said shortly, before going past him and walking onto the grounds of the school. She looked around, before she saw a group of boys about the right age talking and laughing together. Their laughter died down as she approached, and she merely smiled, though grimly, as she looked at them. "Have you seen a boy that looks like me, except more…masculine?"

"Nessa?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned and smiled at the thunderstruck expression on Shell's face.

"Shell?" She asked, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Shell! It's been so dreadful in that house without Father or you around!" she said.

"Nessa?" he said again. She pulled away, looking at Shell, her smile becoming wider. "You're…you don't have…wow…this is…amazing!" He said.

"Isn't it? Elphaba spelled my shoes so that I can walk!" she said happily.

"That's terrific, Nessie!" He said, hugging his older sister again. "It's great. I mean, amazing, but still…what…what do you want, Nessa? Why are you here?" he asked.

Nessarose shrugged. "Do I have to have an excuse to come and visit my brother?" she asked. He frowned, and she moved away from him, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just needed someone to talk to."

Shell led her to a table without any boys within hearing range. "So you came to me? Nessa, we were never that close, you know." He said. "Why don't you talk to Elphaba? If she's done this for you, then you must know where she is." He said.

Nessarose shook her head. "She's too far away. She's…she's at Kiamo Ko, hiding out with some prince or another." She pouted.

Shell's mouth hung open. "_Elphaba_ is hiding out with a _prince_? Since when! How does she even know a prince?" He squawked, waving his arms around frantically. Nessarose grabbed his arms, trying to calm him down.

"She's with Fiyero that prince Glinda was supposed to be engaged to. We went to school together at Shiz." Nessarose explained. "He was friends with Boq…" she said, her voice breaking as she moved away from Shell.

Shell looked at her, confused. "Nessa, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said quickly. Shell moved over to his older sister and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She put her head on his shoulder, and held onto him, ignoring the prep-school boys who were watching.

"Nessa, something has to be wrong." Shell said, looking down at his sister. "What happened? Did something happen to Boq?" he asked. She nodded onto his shoulder. He lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. "Nessa, you can tell me. Is Boq hurt or sick or something?"

Nessarose shook her head, then nodded, at a loss as to what to say. She had come to Shell to talk to him, but now she wasn't sure how to tell him what had happened. She swallowed her pride, and bit her lip. "Boq…isn't…" She looked away.

"Boq's not what, Nessarose?" Shell said. Nessarose's eyes widened. His tone of voice and the way he lowered it to sound like he was in inner turmoil…it was the same tone their father always used with Elphaba. Her body shook, her will shattering. Now she knew why Elphaba always felt so terrible after one of her 'talks' with their father when they were young.

"I didn't mean to…it's just…I wanted him to love me." She said, her mind and mouth not working together. She took a deep breath, and stared at the floor. "Elphaba came to me for help, and…I turned her away."

"Nessa!" said Shell, jumping up to stare at her.

"I'm sorry, I am, but I was upset…I'm allowed to be aren't I?!" she demanded, standing up. She took in a staggering breath, before slumping her shoulders. "But Elphaba charmed my shoes, and…when I showed Boq, he wanted to leave me, to go to Glinda…I couldn't let him do that. Shell, I need him!" she sniffed, and closed her eyes, turning away from him.

Shell sighed and hugged his sister. "You don't need him, Nessa; you've always been strong. Boq was just…an infatuation." He said. "And…maybe he wasn't the right one for you.

"No…he was right; he was the one." She said, sitting back down and holding her head in her hands. "I was the one who wasn't right." She said quietly.

Shell sat down next to her and pet her on the back. "Don't think like that, Nessa, you're beautiful."

"Oh, yes, _tragically beautiful_, that's how I'll always be remembered." She said. A man came up to Shell, and stopped near the two Thropp children.

"Master Thropp, class will be starting in a moment. I'm sorry, Madame Governor, but you're brother needs to get to class." He said. Nessarose nodded stiffly.

"I understand, don't worry." She turned to Shell and kissed him on the cheek. "I have to get home. I…thank you." She said, hugging him.

Shell hugged her back. "Remember, you didn't need Boq. I love you, and…you don't need someone to follow you blindly when you have a loving family." He said, before running off to join his friends. Nessarose watched him joke and laugh with them, before sighing. She looked at the darkening sky before quickly walking back to the mansion. "I hope it's just rain." She said to herself, biting her lip as she remembered Elphaba's warning. Then she laughed at herself. "Don't be ridiculous, Nessa, you're just getting jumpy because you're still upset…" she gulped, before running inside just to be sure.


End file.
